Perfume



. No Drawing.

Patented June 6, 1933 WALTER O. SNEIIIJING, OF ALLENTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA PERFUME My invention relates to improvements in perfumes and more particularly relates to providing an improved volatile vehicle for perfumes, such vehicle having advantageous properties as compared with alcohol as now commonly used.

The use of alcohol as a vehicle for perfumes is very old, and even in the very early days of the perfumers art odoriferous constituents were extracted by means of alcohol, and the alcoholic tincture or extract was used directly as a perfume. With the develcpment of synthetics and the discovery of methods of obtaining perfume absolutes, the use of alcohol as the vehicle still persisted, and in general was so satisfactory that the use of other materials was given little or no consideration. At the present time, however, with grain alcohol subject to such restrictions as to distribution and use as to make the obtaining of the material of proper purity a matter of difiiculty, and the cost of the material being very high, even when material of proper quality can be obtained, the development of a satisfactory substitute is a matter of 0011- siderable economic importance.

I have discovered that the heavier volatile hydrocarbons present in natural gas may be condensed and purified to give a liquid product free from objectionable odor, and having in fact a sweet and pleasant odor blending readily with the odoriferous materials commonly used in the manufacture of perfumes. Particularly when used in combination with perfume essences and fixatives such as benayl benzoate, benzyl cinnamate, methyl anisate, benzyl 1so-eugeno1 and phenyl ethyl phenylacetate. I find that my new products give perfumes of superior quality to similar perfumes made from grain alcohol.

By perfume essence as used in this specification, I refer to the pleasant odoriferous perfume bases commonly used in the prep- Application filed February 13, 1928. Serial No.253,846.

aration of perfumes, including both perfume materials obtained from natural sources and the synthetic substances prepared by chemi-' cal processes. By fixatives I refer to the substances commonly used in the perfumers art tocontrol the volatility ofthe constituents of the perfume essence, and I wish to include under fixatives bothinodorous fixatives used wholly forthepurpose of con trolling volatility, and odoriferous fixatives which in addition to controlling the volatil ity of the perfumebase also impart odor to the finished perfume. I I I In the preparation of my preferred product for use as a vehicle in perfumes, I may obtain liquid condensates from natural gas by any of the usual methods such as compression and cooling, absorption in heavy mineral. oil, absorption by means of activated carbon, or the like, and I then separate by distillation and rectification the portion of the liquid condensate boiling between 30 C. and 100 C. To further Jurify the condensate so obtained, I pre er to treat it with some form of active carbon such as N orite or the like, several treatments with decolorizing carbon being given if necessary, until complete freedom is obtained from any unpleasant odor, and the product is either inodorous or has only a sweet, ethereal smell.

The product which I obtain, upon the completion of my condensing and refining steps, has a vapor pressure of less than 200 millimeters of mercury at 0 (1, but has a vapor pressure in excess of 100 millimeters of mercury at 80C. All material outside of this vapor pressure range should preferably be excluded, as hydrocarbons having a vapor pressure of more than 200 millimeters of mercury at 0 C. are too volatile for use in ordinary perfumes, and hydrocarbons having a vapor pressure ofmore thanlOO millimeters of mercury at80 C evaporate some what too slowly to be entirely satisfactory to a somewhat undesirable modification of the odor of the finished perfume.

I claim 2,

The new composition of matter comprising perfume essence and a liquid condensation product of natural gas having a vapor pressure of less than 200 millimeters of mercury at 0 0., but more than 100 millimeters of mercury at 80 C.

In testimony whereof, I. have hereunto subscribed my name this 10th day of February 1928..

WALTER O.- SNELLING.

to 200 parts of my. purifiedhydrocarbon product.

Very careful tests of the product made in:

accordance with the present invention have shown it to possess properties'even'more'desirable than the properties of alcohol, and particularly inthe manner in: which the vehicle volatilizes, and the manner in which its sweet and ethereal odor blends with" the more delicate odors usedin modernperfum ery,- the product has been found tobe not only a satisfactorysubstitutefor the highest grades of refined alcohol, but to be even much superior to such alcohol; Although my improved natural gasprod'uct may be used in perfumes with alcohol, up to thelimits 'of mutual solubility of the-two products, suclr admixture isnot necessary, and

in some cases is undesirable, the pure hydrocarbon product belng' a satisfactory solvent for most per-fume essences and fiX-atives, and giving ver-y desirable perfumes; when constituting up-to 90% 7 or even more of the finished perfume, the remainder of' the material being the perfumeessence and the fixative; V

I do not claim as any part ofmy invention the use of gasoline or of petroleum ether, a product obtained from gasoline by distillation or rectification, as experience has shown that these hydrocarbon products contaiir very minute amounts of highly odoriferous-materials which, on evaporation of the main quantity of the liquid, leave a residual distinctive and unpleasant odor making their use undesirable for perfume purposes. M-y invention is limited to the use, as a vehicle in perfumes, of a liquid condensate from natural gas having avapor pressure of less than 200 millimetersof mercury at 0 0., but having a vapor pressure of more than 100 millimeters of mercury at 80 C.

It will be evident that many modifications may be made, without departing from the essential features of my invention as herein disclosed. Thefiammability of my perfume vehicle may be reduced by the admixture of chlorinated hydrocarbons, although for ordinary use this is not necessary, and leads 

